Syrian electricity to be connected to Jordanian-Egyptian network

The Syrian electrical network will soon be connected to those of Jordan and Egypt, a Syrian official said Monday.

The Syrian electrical network will soon be connected to those of Jordan and Egypt, a Syrian official said Monday.

"Connection tests with the Jordanian and Egyptian networks were completed last week, and the project will be inaugurated soon," said Zaki Odeh, chairman of Syria's electrical authority.

A 360-kilometer-long (224-mile) 400-kilovolt junction line was installed to connect the Syrian and Jordanian networks, he added.

The Jordanian and Egyptian networks were connected in March 1999 by an underwater cable, as a result of a project launched in 1996 and aimed at connecting Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iraq.

Odeh said the 350-kilometer (217-mile) connection with Turkey would be completed by the end of 2001, and that Lebanon could also be joining the regional project, whose completion is scheduled for 2002.

The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, an organ of the Arab League, contributed $300 million to building of the joint network. – (AFP, Damascus)